ESCHATOLOGICAL CONCEPTS OF THE ENGLISH PAROUSIA AWAKENING OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY SHARED BY THE IRVINGIANS (THE NEW APOSTOLICS) AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS

Abstract

The article discusses the emergence of the Protestant Irvingian movement (started by E. Irving, 1792-1834 and H. Drummond, 1786-1860) which originated from the English parousia awakening of the first half of the 19th century where the eschatological issues were particularly emphasised. Irvingians, also known as New Apostolics, developed a number of premillenarian eschatological concepts which were later adopted by a number of Protestant (evangelical) movements and denominations that also focused on apocalypticism and set a number of end-of-the-world dates. In particular, the idea of: the “rapture of the saints” before the Great Tribulation, the invisible /spiritual and two-stage parousia, and so-called Christian Zionism. By using the Irvingian concepts dispensationalism was created by J. N. Darby (1800–1882) who also co-founded the Brethren (Free Christian) movement. These ideas were also significant for the Millerites (created in the U.S. by W Miller, 1782–1849), who after 1844 (the Great Disappointment) splintered into various Adventist directions. In the 1870s some of these premillenarian ideas were taken over from the Adventists and modified accordingly by the movement of so-called Bible Students, initiated by Ch. T. Russell (1852–1916). The main part of the study movement in 1931 took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses.